something between us
by animezebra
Summary: It was just physical, he said. So why did the idea of Zoe with golden boy George make him want to punch a wall? Set after the season finale.


AN: Finally saw the last two episodes. It was a roller coaster of emotions for me. I'll spare you all my rants and analysis (unless you want to hear it, in which case, feel free to send me a message, lol) and just say that it's inspired me immensely.

For those of you who are reading my other fics, I am definitely still working on "The Letter" series. Part 3 will be up soon, and canon actually backs some of my ideas up, which makes me very happy. This particular story is a separate one-shot not connected to the others. It's set after the season finale, so spoiler warning. I hope you like it!

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Wade couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he took one final look in the mirror before heading out the door to Zoe's house. He had been a little miffed when Zoe had asked him for a few days to "think about things." Their night together had just proved that they fit damn well together. What was there to think about?

But the look on her face had him caving without too much protest. For all her New York City sass and sophistication, he had the sense that Zoe wasn't the kind of girl to sleep with someone unless she was in a serious relationship. So he didn't mind giving her some breathing room. But just a bit because he knew Zoe well enough to know that if she had had too much to think, she'd talk herself into a frenzy of regret and worry and general craziness. And he'd be damned if he was going to let her talk herself out of exploring whatever was between the two of them. If she hadn't called him that morning to ask him over, he was planning on knocking on her door and kissing away all of her crazy arguments.

As he made his way to Zoe's house, he noticed a car coming up the path, and his good mood soured. What the hell was George Tucker doing pulling up to Zoe's place right now?

"Hey Tucker." He called out as he strode up to the car.

"Oh, hey Wade," the lawyer smiled distractedly as he got out of the driver's seat. "How have you been?"

"I've been all right. I should be asking you that question though. I'm sorry about the wedding." And he was. For all his resentment of the golden boy, he really had thought that George and Lemon were one of those couples that could make it through anything.

George shrugged, a shadow over his face. "I hate the way it happened, and that Lemon got hurt and had the day she had dreamed about forever ruined. But we've both changed so much, and when it came down to it, I couldn't do it. Not when..."

His gaze strayed to the house, and Wade's fists clenched. "So, three days after calling off your wedding to the girl you've been with since high school, you're pulling up to Zoe Hart's place? Real classy, George."

George arched a brow at the thinly veiled hostility in the other man's voice. "No offense, Wade, but this is really between me and Zoe."

"Like hell I'm not. Zoe and I..." he trailed off, unsure of what to say next. What were he and Zoe? It's not like they made anything official. He wasn't sure if he was even ready to be in a committed relationship with a girl that drove him crazy eighty-five percent of the time. But the idea of Zoe just falling into George's arms after everything that had happened between them made him want to punch something. Hard.

"Look, George. You're right. It's your business. But before you go in there and sweep Doc off her feet, I've got to say something. You didn't marry Lemon because she deserved more than having only part of your heart. I can understand that, I guess. But what about Zoe? You're okay with starting something with her, and she's been in love with you since she got here, so she's probably going to fall right into your arms, but she's not going to have all of you either because we both know that there is no way you're already over Lemon. Is that fair?"

George was silent, a surprised expression on his face as he regarded his old friend. "Why does this matter to you? You and Zoe have been fighting like cats and dogs since she moved to town."

Wade resisted the urge to roll his eyes. George was a good man and friend, but he could be oblivious to what was going on right in front of him. "Don't try to change the subject George. All I'm sayin' is that Zoe deserves better from you than this."

The lawyer scrubbed a hand down his face. "I know you're right. But there's something drawing me to her, and I'll always regret it if I don't try and see what we could be. It's up to her. "

Wade straightened. George was right. The choice was Zoe's. And he was pretty sure that as usual, he was going to be one who lost out.

The light on the porch flicked on, and the girl in question stepped out. She was wearing a pair of shorts and plain pink t-shirt with her hair in a ponytail, and still, somehow, just the sight of her made the world hazy for a second.

He sensed George shift next to him, and everything came back into focus quickly. She was biting her lip, and the look of nervousness on her face set his teeth on edge in preparation for what he knew was coming.

He smirked. "Hey, Doc. Looks like you mixed up your nights and called both of us over."

She scowled but refused to rise to his bait. She came down the steps and stood in front of them, twisting her hands nervously in front of her. "No, it's not like that. I just have to talk to you both, and I felt it would be easier if I only had to do it once."

"No need for a fancy talk and fake apologies. You finally got what you wanted. I'll just head back to my place and leave you two lovebirds alone," he sneered and turned to go when he felt a hand on his sleeve.

"Wade, wait. Don't go yet." He turned around and opened his mouth for another snarky remark, but she quickly spoke again. "Look, every time we have a fight, it's because one of us isn't being completely honest with each other. And the least I can do for you, for both of you," she amended, glancing at George, "is to just lay everything out there. So please, hear me out."

The last thing he wanted to do was stand there and listen to Zoe tell him that she was so sorry but she loved George and it was only a physical thing between them anyway, and they could go back to being friends right?

Hell, he didn't want to marry the girl. All he wanted for once in his damn life was to be someone's first choice. He just wanted a chance to prove that he wasn't a bad decision or a complete screw-up. For some reason, Zoe made him feel that he could be something more, and now it seemed like even she wasn't willing to give him a shot.

"Zoe, what's going on?" George finally spoke, confusion all over his face as his eyes darted between the tense pair. "You've been ignoring my calls, and then you ask me to come over here to talk. Now I'm just really confused."

She took a deep breath. "Okay. When you came over after the wedding, I wasn't alone."

He took in Wade's slight smirk and the way Zoe kept her eyes focused on the ground. He remembered that she had been tightening a black silk robe with her hair mussed, and comprehension dawned. "You were with Wade."

"Yes." She glanced at Wade. "He was the knock at the door. He came to the door, told me that he called of the wedding and that he had feelings for me and then he kissed me and left, promising to call me tomorrow."

"And that's why you asked me to leave right after that," he mumbled, the pieces starting to fall into place. He had no idea why he was standing here listening to this speech, but his feet might as well have been stuck to the ground.

"I didn't want to make any hasty decisions in the heat of the moment. Cause I think we all know that I've make terrible choices over the past few months, and I've hurt enough people. I needed to think."

Ever the lawyer, George carefully asked, "And did you come to a decision?"

She nodded and turned to face him fully. "George, you are everything I've ever dreamed of in a guy. I came to this town with no friends or allies, and you were there, making it so easy for me to fall in love with you. I was finally beginning to accept that I was never going to have you, and that I needed to move on. And then finally you come to my door, kissing me and saying all the right things. It's straight out of a romantic comedy." She paused and stepped out of the way of George's hands reaching for her. The smile on his handsome face faded. "But you just got out of a relationship you've been in since high school, and I don't want to be the rebound. I've made my share of mistakes in our twisted relationship, but I deserve more than that."

"Zoe, you're not just a rebound." He grabbed her hands. "I love you. And I'm not saying that this is going to be easy, but I think that we could really be something special together."

"I know, George." She smiled sadly and pulled her hands away. "But I gave up my fellowship to stay in Bluebell because I knew it would make me a better person. And I think that, for me, being a better person means that I need to let you go."

Wade ruthlessly shoved back the hope rising in him. Just cause she said no to George didn't mean anything. Even though he was hoping to God that it did.

"Zoe, come on. Don't give up on us like this." He shoved a hand through his hair in frustration. "Can we talk about this some more? Maybe in private."

Wade stiffened but before he could reply, Zoe shook her head gently. "No, George. I've made my choice."

"And you're choosing Wade." She didn't say anything and he scoffed in amazement. "Wow. Really? Why? I just...The two of you don't make any sense."

She nodded ruefully. "We have nothing in common, and we fight constantly. We both have such different views of life, and I don't know if we'd be able to go for a month without trying to kill each other. But..." she looked up at Wade, a small smile on her lips. "There's just something between us."

Wade's lips curved. "Good choice of words, Doc."

The three of them stood in silence, Wade and Zoe smiling at each other and George watching them with an inscrutable expression on his face before speaking.

"So that's it, then."

Zoe's gaze broke away from Wade's. "Yes it is. I'm so sorry George. I never wanted to hurt anyone, especially you." He held up a hand, cutting off her apology.

"It's okay, Zoe. I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah, and I think we can all see each other at town evens and in the square and be civil about this, right? I mean, we're all adults. We can totally handle it." Wade grabbed her hand and squeezed it, and she stopped talking in surprise.

"Doc, shut up, you're rambling." He ignored her squeak of protest and held his other hand out to George. They had been best friends in high school, and even though things had changed as they got older, he couldn't ignore the twinge of regret he felt at the look in the other man's eyes. "George."

George looked down at the outstretched hand and then back into his eyes. "Hurt her, and you're dead, Kinsella." He turned around and walked back to his car.

Zoe was silent as she watched him start the car and drive away. Wade couldn't read her face, and he felt all his doubts and insecurities resurfacing in the quiet.

"So..."

She shook herself out of her reverie and looked up at him shyly. "So..."

"I heard what you said to George. About him not being fair to me." She twisted her hands in front of her. "Thank you for that. You're not as bad a guy as you'd like people to think."

He flushed slightly and tugged on her hand still caught in his, leading her up the porch stairs. "Well, you know. I just didn't want you drinking all the wine at the Rammer Jammer if he broke up with you. I can't afford to give away any more free drinks if I want to save enough money for my bar."

"How's that working out by the way? I know I lost you the money, and I'm really, really sorry, but I'm going to help you. I was actually thinking the other day that you could go to the bank and try applying for a loan."

He winced. "Tried that. Didn't quite work out too well." She raised an eyebrow, and he let out a breath. "Let's just saying I didn't make a good impression."

"Well, that's okay. We'll figure something else out."

"We?" He said, a lazy half-smile tilting his mouth as he watched her flush.

"Yes, we. I think that running your own bar could be really good for you, and I want to help you in any way I can."

She spoke so confidently that it gave him pause. He had to ask. "You really think I can do it?"

"Yeah, I really do. Lavon and I are here to help, and I'm sure others in the town will too." He couldn't help the wave of affection that rolled over him at her assured words, at her faith in him. It was nice to see people believing in him for a change, especially this pint-size doctor who had chosen him over the man who could do no wrong and who could kiss him into a stupor

He was brought out of his thoughts with a hand on his chest. He looked down to see Zoe with a curious look on her face. "What are you thinking about?"

The way she was smiling at him reminded him that it had been way too long since he had last kissed her.

"Well, Zoe Hart," he drawled, stepping into her personal space. "What I'm thinking about is the fact that you turned away a sure thing in George Tucker for the town bad boy. Any particular reason? Other than the fact that I rocked your world the other night."

She swatted at him even as she laughed. "I think I was the one rocking your world."

She had lit a fire under his skin with every touch, but he wasn't about to tell her that. He smiled slowly. "Well, we could always find out, you know?"

"We still have to talk about a lot of things..." She trailed off as she caught his eyes, dark and focused on her mouth as he towered over her. How did she end up with her back against the door? She couldn't think when he was looking at her like that, and it didn't seem all that important anyway. "But we can talk later," she murmured, looking up at him.

He laughed low in his chest and cupped her face in his hands, kissing her deep and slow. He loved the way she melted against him, her small hands fisting in the soft cotton of his shirt. She fit perfectly against him, just like he remembered. He smiled against her mouth, and she giggled and pulled away.

"Yeah, we can talk much later," she said breathlessly, reaching behind her for the door knob and pulling him into the house.

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A/N I hope you all liked it. I know we have a bunch of fics out there now about what Zoe's choice will be, but I tried to make it as different as possible. Please, please, please review and tell me what you think and what you liked and what you didn't. I'm always looking to improve! Thanks so much for reading!


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